[Saraguie]

It is the warranty/return that has me concerned. $100. Saved of off 700 is a significant number but not being sure I will keep them I cannot take the gamble.

 

[Makiah S]

It is the warranty/return that has me concerned. $100. Saved of off 700 is a significant number but not being sure I will keep them I cannot take the gamble.

With the hype train rolling like it is, I'm pretty sure you could sell these at cost or pretty close to it. Look at teh DX 90, massive hype and about a month after it was released there where a ton for sale. Some loved, some hated, some wanted a DX 100 after hearing the 90. 

 

[gr8soundz]

 

 
Most likely the best deal with 15% off when we order it by 11:59PM JST today?
 
http://www.fromjapan.co.jp/special/order/campaign
 
http://www.fromjapan.co.jp/special/order/confirm?item_addr=http%3A%2F%2Fitem.rakuten.co.jp%2Fmikasacamera%2F4905524977226&quantity=1
 
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/mikasacamera/4905524977226
 

---

 
List of prices for Rakuten online shops here
 
http://product.rakuten.co.jp/product/SONY+MDR-Z7/d014105681c9b908d3c11f78bce9a2b0/item

 
Looks like its sold out; says seller limit reached.

 

[gr8soundz]

Tried again and was able to place order through fromjapan. Came to $436 with fees so far. No price on the shipping yet though (hope it won't be too high; shouldn't be for just the z7s boxed up). More risk ordering from japan but couldn't resist saving over $200 vs amazon price.

 

[Nomax]

I LOVE BOTH!




Regards NOMAX

 

[zorin]

Problems with treble and the Z7 uses aluminium coated LCP drivers.

LCP drivers have problems with treble extension: http://cdn.head-fi.org/e/ec/900x900px-LL-ec14b11b_MDRZ1000.png

It can be seen on the Z1000, MDR-7520 (same as Z1000 but slightly different internal foam) and MDR-1R.

There is something to it, but I am certain that the primary factor for the Z7's treble weakness is the fact that their driver is of 70 mm size. With speakers as the size of a speaker cone increases the bass gets better and the treble gets weaker. The similar effect is valid for headphones; as the size of a diaphragm increases the treble starts disappearing. That is a law of the Universe and nothing can be done about it - a 70 mm headphones driver is just not capable of reproducing the treble of the same quality as a 50 mm driver is capable. With the bass the reverse is true.
'Treble weakness' is a relative term if we are not in the business or the endeavor to evaluate headphones' performance objectively; for many people the treble performance of Z7 will be acceptable, or good, and for some who are 'treble phobic', even great. Other factors in the equation are the different forms of music, for something like bass, bang and thump music the lack of treble extension will not be much noticeable. I predict that the treble performance of Z7 will be just adequate. Nobody should expect the quantity and quality of Beyerdynamic T1's treble. Those who listen to music on acoustic instruments, the classical music included, will find the coloration of the tones of instruments, due to Z7's treble weakness, irritating. My worry is that Sony audio engineers, in order to compensate for the insufficient treble, tuned these headphones to have an upper mids peak as a substitute treble of sorts. The've done this trick before with MDR-1R headphones. This kind of peak would wreck [color unpleasantly] any decent vocals. Let us hope that this is not the case.
My view is that Sony has gone past the limit of what is possible to do with one solitary driver. Somewhere past 60 mm size headphones need to have two drivers within the ear-cup enclosure, one driver [tweeter driver] would be needed to just play the treble frequencies. Two driver design is surely the future of making headphones with over-sized drivers. Very recently JVC made headphones with this design, HA-SZ2000 have been selling for less than a year, but these headphones are a failure. They are just bass canons with dim and recessed middle frequencies.
With modding to tone down bass and thus bring treble up a bit MDR-Z7 might turn up to be very good headphones,... maybe even excellent. Good luck to us all.

 

[Fegefeuer]

I SUCCUMBED, but only because it's a Sony (fanboy since the first TV my father bought, which was a mighty Trinitron when I was a little boy or the closed Sony my father bought me 1993 for 300 bucks @_@, 8 years later it served me very well with Max Payne 1)
 
Will give a few comparisons with the TH-900 once it arrives, but it'll take time and I need to listen to both again.

 

[capitanharlock]

I succumbed as well and ordered by fromjapan... let's see how it goes...

 

[Vartan]

I LOVE BOTH!




Regards NOMAX

Same here

 

[Nomax]

And Here you can see my PERSONAL Ranking with Z7 from/in my COLLECTION
http://www.open-end-music.de/vb3/showpost.php?p=167140&postcount=947

REGARDS NOMAX

 

[jude]

  I wonder how they stack up to my favourite headphone, the HD800. I know the 800 is much more expensive, but I feel like since they're both flagships, the comparison can be made.
 
Anyone have both? 
 
(I know its apples to oranges, but I really compare everything to HD800...)

 
I have both. That's very apples-oranges, in my opinion.
 
The HD 800 is still, in my opinion, the highest performing moving coil dynamic headphone in the world, particularly when well-driven, well-paired. As much as I dig the MDR-Z7, it hasn't changed my opinion of the HD 800 in that regard.
 
That said, there are still some who don't like the HD 800's tonal balance, or its brand of revealing, and for those people, the MDR-Z7--which is, to my ears, a rich, revealing flagship headphone--would probably be preferred.
 

  So wait... does the Z7 leak like a semi-open can or not? (e.g. Fostex Th600/900)
 
Didn't Nomax say there was no leakage?
 
Jude? if you could chime in please?

 
I haven't done a side-by-side leakage comparison, but I'd say the MDR-Z7's leakage is on the low side of moderate. By my definition, there's some leakage--again, the degree to which this is or isn't a problem is going to be determined by how loud one listens, and the tolerance of those around him to a given amount of leakage.
 
In terms of isolation for the listener, it's okay, but it is definitely not my most isolating closed headphone.
 

  Yea, and there's nothing wrong with a darker sounding closed back...
 
...I'm getting the impression that the MDR Z7 is...tilted to darkness with a slight tilt to mids n bass...
 
...But for those who like the darker sound, the MDR Z7 might be perfection!...

 
@Mshenay, I think you're making a lot of assumptions based mostly on Nomax's impressions. I won't argue with Nomax's perception (how could I argue about how it sounds to him?), but he and I are definitely perceiving this headphone very differently. Based on what I've read, it seems he hears this headphone as having far more bass presence than I perceive; and far less treble presence than I perceive.
 
I would be very surprised if this headphone, after its owned by a lot of people, earns a collective impression of having "darker sound."
 

Originally Posted by Mshenay /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
...Upon hearing it's "warm" and the treble isn't as "bright" as some want I have a feeling it's running the same over played sound signiture as the Shure 1540 and Mad Dog did, and what do the Mad Dog and Shure 1540 have in common? MASSIVE amounts of Hype around them, and while both are very good closed cans, and while the Sony MDR Z7 will out perform them, they all have the tried and true, boring and over played "warm" sound...

 
Again, a lot of pretty specific assumptions being made here. I also have the SRH1540 and Mad Dog--not here at the moment, but at the office--and, by way of memory, I'd say the MDR-Z7 has more treble sparkle than either of those. I'll bring them home this weekend--or after CanJam @ RMAF if I don't have much listening time this weekend (because of CanJam preparation)--and do more direct comparisons then, but I feel reasonably confident in my from-memory comparison in this very specific regard.
 
And is there really "MASSIVE amounts" of hype for the MDR-Z7? I'm not seeing it. Of course, there's a new Sony flagship, so there's going to be a lot of interest in discussing it in a community like this, but I'm not seeing what I'd consider massive hype here.
 

Originally Posted by Mshenay /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
...Either way, to hear it's lacking the treble extension I've lost interest...

 
Again, for what it's worth, I don't perceive the MDR-Z7 as lacking treble extension. I know there isn't much in the way of MDR-Z7 reviews yet, but even looking at the comments I have been able to find.
 
From the machine-translated impressions earlier in the thread:
 

It becomes apparent the moment you issue a sound, sound a sense of scale, that wide sound field is creation...I feel the width of the space, the naturalness. Although it is sealed, but a feeling of opening, it's headphones to enjoy the natural sound in a relaxed manner...

 
I'd agree. In my experience, I also think a headphone that tended toward darkness would be less likely to be described this way.
 

...Sound in an extremely wide-range, it is not felt at all and hardness character also has a unique high frequency. It's impression that natural sound of a liquid crystal polymer film, is maintained firmly even when high-frequency reproduction Ultra...

 
That reads like a pretty rough translation (obviously), but I'm not thinking what's being described there is rolled-off treble.
 

...Resolution of low frequency is also high, subduction also deep. Become to expensive model and ¥ 50,000 units actual sales, but it has a merit that Watariaeru enough with high-end headphones ¥ 100,000 class of other companies, it's likely to be thought of as a model with excellent cost performance in that sense.

 
Again, some pretty rough translation there, but I agree that, though mildly accentuated (as I would describe it, again, for whatever that's worth), the bass speed and resolution is very good.
 

The sound away is good though it is sealed, it is spread, and deeply in both depth, space and natural I enjoy sex. It is also a high-end machine of the long-awaited with 70mm driver, but not that excessive bass, it's sound smooth density feeling was accompanied across the entire band.

 
LOL. Read carefully, and you'll probably agree that's also a pretty rough (and entertaining) translation. Again, though, that's still another person's impression that doesn't seem to describe bloated bass to me.
 
From @zorin's post containing impressions from Japanese forums:
 

The sound leaks in and out, Z7 are not fully closed headphones, more like semi-open or quarter-open

 
Agreed. They're obviously more closed than open, but, again, they're not my most isolating closed headphone by any means.
 

The bass texture is better with Z7 than it is with MA900

 
I also have the MDR-MA900, and I would agree with this statement. Bass texture and bass presence is definitely better (to my ears) with the MDR-Z7 versus the MDR-MA900.
 

One guy : the bass is not excessive [a big minefield of opinions on bass, everyone has a different view of how much is enough bass or not enough bass]

 
Just throwing this in there for one more data point on bass opinion.
 

Another guy : the bass is less than he expected, these headphones sound more flat than he expected, he puts the blame on the metallic coating of Z7's diaphragm; Z7 sound quite flat but they are not reference class balanced [meaning Z7's frequency bands are quite balanced relative to each other but not properly balanced like those in the reference class headphones]

 
Another data point on bass opinion.
 

On the other hand the treble extension of acoustic instruments, particularly of stringed instruments, is lacking

 
Again, I don't agree with this, but at least there's another opinion here. For what it's worth, I listen to a lot of acoustic music.
 

Z7's treble resolution is inferior to the treble resolution of Sennheiser HD800 and of Beyerdynamic T1

 
I have the HD 800. I would agree that relative to the HD 800, the MDR-Z7's treble resolution is not as great. Understand, though, that is a comparison result that, in my opinion, overwhelmingly most headphones would have versus the HD 800.
 
(I don't have a T1 here at the moment, but I did have one (and really should pick up another).)
 

There does not seem to be a hole in the mid treble as is the case with MA900, the treble is more even

 
Just throwing this in there, since it covers something to do with treble.
 

There were a couple of voices that these headphones are overpriced. [ I do not share this view, 70mm driver does not come cheap]

 
At the prices I've seen so far (I think around $700 US), in my opinion, the MDR-Z7 is a very strong overall performer and an excellent value.
 
And, again, without in any way intending to discredit Nomax's impressions (I believe he hears it as he describes it), I will only say that he and I perceive the MDR-Z7 very differently.
 
I understand that one wants to come to some quick conclusions, hence some of the quick assumptions I'm seeing. However, I think you should wait for more impressions to be posted before coming to firm conclusions. Of course, eventually listening to it yourself is always the best way--really, the only way--to figure out what any headphone is going to sound like to you.

 

[Dexon]

Thanks for your impressions Nomax! Now I don't have to revisit this thread any more. After HD800 and K702 I'd probably vomit on their 'feel the air' thing.

 

[plakat]

  @Mshenay, I think you're making a lot of assumptions based mostly on Nomax's impressions. I won't argue with Nomax's perception (how could I argue about how it sounds to him?), but he and I are definitely perceiving this headphone very differently. Based on what I've read, it seems he hears this headphone as having far more bass presence than I perceive; and far less treble presence than I perceive.
 
I would be very surprised if this headphone, after its owned by a lot of people, earns a collective impression of having "darker sound."
 

 
I only had a rather short listen at IFA, but with my own music (so at least that was well-known) and would not have called it dark either. I think I said in my earlier post that I would relate the sound signature to the TH900, i.e. bass and treble a bit elevated, but to me neither was overwhelming (for reference: my primary headphone is a T1).

 

[M-13]

Thanks for answering my question Jude. I think I "get" what you're trying to tell me.
 
I'm now leaning toward Roxanne.

 
(Yes I realize that's a very different alternative)

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

Jude, are you planning to demo the PHA-3?  I'm very curious about the "engineered synergy"...